Kennebunk Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, it’s Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for getting wet around here. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing but tiny, sloppy waves ahead. The forecast is a real bummer for anyone hoping to paddle out.

The only break we’ve got on the map is Kennebunk Beach, and honestly, it’s not looking like it’s going to offer up much of anything worth the wetsuit struggle. For the first week, we're staring down a whole lot of dribble. The swell is tiny, mostly around that knee-high mark, with a weak combined energy. Numbers like 21 and 23 in the energy department just tell you there's nothing pushing in. We’ve got a mix of onshore and cross-shore winds that are going to keep things chopped up and messy. There's a little bump of energy on the afternoon of the 13th, pushing 4ft, but it’s coming in at a short 5-second period and the wind is on it, so it’ll be a messy close-out, not a wave you want to be fighting. Then again on the afternoon of the 15th, the swell jumps to 6ft, but the energy reading of 182 and the short period make it look like a wind-swell mess. Too much chop, not enough shape. It’s just not a good look for paddling. You’d have more fun on a kite on those afternoons, to be honest.

I need to mention, on the 9th, the water temp is 64° with an anomaly of 2° warmer than usual, so it’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about all the good news I’ve got.

The middle of the period isn't any better. The 16th and 17th have some cleaner windows with offshore winds, and you'll see the wave comment say "clean," but the swell is still tiny, less than 2ft. It might be pretty to look at, but there’s just no power to it. We're in a real flat spell.

Now, looking into the second week, around the 19th, we do get some glassy conditions, and on the morning of the 21st, it’s glassy again too. That’s a bit of a tease, because there’s still no surf to speak of. It’s frustrating to have perfect conditions and nothing to ride.

There is a glimmer of hope way out there. On the 24th, the energy numbers finally start to climb. The morning shows 78 and the afternoon jumps to 206, with the swell building to 4ft. The period is still short at 8 seconds, but it’s something. We finally see some life. It’s still a long way out, and the wind is looking cross-shore, so I wouldn’t book a surf trip around it, but it’s the only period in this whole 16-day forecast that looks like it might actually produce a rideable wave. It’s a long-range call, so don’t hold your breath, but it’s there. It’s promising, but we've been burned before.

So, that’s the long and short of it. A whole lot of waiting, a few clean but empty days, and one maybe at the tail end. Keep the board in the car, but keep your expectations low.

Rusty.

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